1What FoxPlug reads from App Store Connect
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| Your apps | the first 5 apps on the account: id, name and bundle id |
| Recent versions of each app | 5 versions per app: version number, store state and created date. Only versions in the states ready for sale or ready for distribution count as released |
| Newest customer reviews of each app | 20 newest reviews per app: review id, star rating, title and review text (title cut to 120 characters, text to 1500) |
| A memory of what it saw last time | the list of released versions and review ids seen, kept on your connection so the next check can tell what is new |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in App Store Connect worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
a new app version is released on the App Store
The moment is titled like this: Released Trailmap 2.4.0
Your app Trailmap goes to ready for sale at version 2.4.0. On your next press of Check for what's new, FoxPlug makes the moment 'Released Trailmap 2.4.0' with the line 'Trailmap 2.4.0 is published on the App Store.' plus a link to the app in App Store Connect. It is a post and a changelog entry.
a new 5-star review arrives
The moment is titled like this: New 5-star review for Trailmap: Best hiking app I own
A customer gives five stars and titles the review 'Best hiking app I own'. The moment carries the review text. It is held, not posted: the Today brief offers it as a repost idea for a week.
a new 1-star review arrives
The moment is titled like this: New 1-star review for Trailmap: Crashes on launch
A customer gives one star and titles it 'Crashes on launch'. The review text is kept on the moment, and the Today brief shows it as the first card for three days so you read it and answer before you post anything.
a 2, 3 or 4-star review arrives
The moment is titled like this: none: only 5-star and 1-star reviews become moments
A three-star review of Trailmap is read but ignored. Only the two ends of the scale make a card.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to App Store Connect. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- A new version becomes an update and a changelog entry. A download or install milestone becomes an update once per step. How the brain decides
- A new 1-star rating or review becomes the first card in the Today brief for three days. How the brain decides
- A new 5-star rating or review becomes a repost idea in the Today brief for a week. It is never posted for you. How the brain decides
- The App Store and Google Play use your own read-only key. How the brain decides
- Reads are read-only and happen only when you press Build the brief or Check for what's new. How the brain decides
4Set up App Store Connect in a few steps
Access: App Store Connect API key (.p8 file text) plus the Issuer ID and Key ID written as ISSUER-ID:KEY-ID in a second box. What to give it: App Store Connect API key (.p8), read-only role.
- Open appstoreconnect.apple.com/access/integrations/api (Users and Access, then Integrations, then App Store Connect API).
- Copy the Issuer ID shown at the top of the page.
- Open the Team Keys tab and press Generate API Key.
- Name it FoxPlug and give it the Customer Support role, the lowest role the guide says can read versions and reviews.
- Copy the Key ID from the new row.
- Press Download API Key. Apple lets you download the.p8 file only once, so save it now.
- Open the.p8 file in a text editor and copy everything in it.
- Paste the file text into FoxPlug, and write the Issuer ID, a colon and the Key ID in the second field with no spaces.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- First 5 apps, 5 versions per app and 20 newest reviews per app.
- The first read only records what exists; no version or review makes a moment until the second check.
- Only 5-star and 1-star reviews become moments, and a review is noticed only while it is among the 20 newest at the time you press.
- Only versions in the ready-for-sale or ready-for-distribution states count as released, so a version still in review is not seen.
- If the review list cannot be fetched, that app is still read for versions and its reviews are treated as empty.
- Apple does not let a key be limited to one app; the role is the only limit, so the key can see every app on the account.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Sales, downloads, revenue, analytics or payments (only the app list, versions and customer reviews are requested)
- Builds, TestFlight testers, certificates or app metadata other than name and bundle id
- Anything it changes: it never replies to a review or edits an app. The connect note says FoxPlug only reads versions and reviews
7Questions
Is the App Store Connect key read-only?
FoxPlug only reads versions and reviews and never changes anything. Apple cannot limit a key to one app, so the role limits it; the guide suggests the Customer Support role, which it describes as the lowest role that can read versions and reviews.
Why are the Issuer ID and Key ID needed as well as the file?
Apple signs each request with the file and names the issuer and the key. FoxPlug builds that signed request itself, so you give the file text, then the Issuer ID, a colon and the Key ID.
I closed the page before saving the.p8 file. What now?
Apple lets the file be downloaded once. Revoke that key in App Store Connect and generate another.
Will FoxPlug answer my reviews?
No. Reviews are only read. A 1-star review becomes a card telling you to read it; a 5-star review becomes a repost idea you can accept or ignore.
Does the first check make posts for my old versions?
No. The first check only records what is already released, so nothing old turns into a post.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.